Advent activities prepare UMs for coming of Christ

By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
Elaine Galle of Industry remembers feeling a connection with Christmas hymns as a young child, back when kids could still sing about Jesus in public schools.
Churches would include Christmas hymns earlier in the season, she recalls, so all young children could know most popular carols. And all the youngsters wanted a part in the Christmas program at Industry UMC.
More than 50 years later, Galle said, children can no longer sing about Christmas in schools, and churches don’t use Christmas music during Advent. But children still come from all around the city to take part in Industry UMC’s Christmas program.
“A lot of the kids don’t learn Christmas carols anymore,” said Galle, 59-year-old organizer of the program. “This (program) teaches them to the kids. It helps them learn more of the spirit of Christmas. And it shows our congregation that our kids know the true meaning of Christmas.”
Galle began working on the Christmas program in September. She expects about 20 children to sing to the 256-member congregation Dec. 16 during the 10:35 a.m. worship service.
The event is part of Industry UMC’s Advent activities. Many other Southwest Texas congregations have scheduled special Advent celebrations, Bible studies and sermons.
Advent is a four-week liturgical season that prepares Christians for the birth of Christ. It begins Dec. 2 and continues through Dec. 24, the day before the 12-day Christmas celebration begins.
The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical calendar and proclaims the coming of Christ. Advent is derived from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming.”
Galle said the Christmas program draws many people. Typically the church education building is completely full on the day of the performance.
The program is an outreach event as much as it is a treat for the community, she said. Two families that are not members of the church have committed their children to being in the program.
“We have some (youngsters) who typically come every year and want to be in the Christmas program,” Galle said. “And then we don’t see them very often the rest of the year.”
In Johnson City, First UMC is presenting a living nativity scene Dec. 7 and 8 and Dec. 14 and 15, starting at 6:30 p.m. A new show is to start every half hour, said JoAnn Routh, church secretary.
The 400-member congregation has staged the live re-enactment of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem since the 1960s, she said, though it has changed over time. Typically, a story is narrated, and actors walk through the motions.
After the performance, visitors can stop by the church’s activity center for free warm drinks, cookies and a look at nativity displays from all around the world.
The living nativity is a big draw every year, Routh said. Some 1,200 people visited last year.
“This is our gift to the community,” she said. “It’s a great ministry. A lot of families from other towns come back every year. It’s part of their Christmas.”
The church is also planning an alternative Christmas market where people choose to give friends and family gifts that serve a greater purpose.
The market is scheduled for the church’s activity center Dec. 2 and 9 from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Visitors can donate to various projects as gifts for loved ones. Choices include the church bus fund, Heifer Project International, the blanket program, the Personal Energy Transportation project and special educational programs for missionaries Luis and Eunice Aramaya in Guatemala.
“For me, personally, (the market) is a blessing,” Routh said. “I have people on my list who I can’t think of anything to give them. It would just be more junk for them. They don’t need any more stuff. They’d be happy to know they’re contributing to this project.”
Wesley UMC, Corpus Christi, has a full schedule of Advent activities, said the Rev. Damon Relder, pastor.
The 321-member congregation is inviting families with children to the church Dec. 1 to decorate homemade Christmas ornaments and wreaths. The congregation is collecting disposable diapers for Wesley Community Center in Corpus Christi Dec. 2.
Wesley plans an event Dec. 6 for Parents of Murdered Children, a victims advocacy group. Members of the church buy gifts for a chosen family. Church members and guests gather to celebrate and honor the deceased child’s memory.
Wesley’s preschool has scheduled its Christmas program Dec. 13. The choir is to sing a Christmas cantata Dec. 16 during the 10:15 a.m. worship service.
During the weekend of Dec. 29 and 30, Wesley is staging an event at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Relder gave the store a list of 10 books people should read before they die.
At the end of the day, the church is to receive 10 percent of the profit that Barnes & Noble makes from vouchers that Wesley members hand out.
The Wesley choir is to sing at the event.
Relder said Advent activities serve a great purpose for the Corpus Christi community.
“It continues to draw attention to what Christmas is about,” Relder said. “It’s not about seeing how many gifts you can give and how big you can make the bill on your credit card. It’s about the coming of the savior.
“To the church, it’s simply a matter of celebration, the single most important event after the Resurrection.”